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trochilus: Mr. Derham supposes, in Ray's Philosophical Letters, that he has discovered three. In these, there is again an instance of some very common birds that have as yet no English name.

Mr. Stillingfleet makes a question whether the black-cap (motacilla atracapilla) be a bird of passage or not. I think there is no doubt of it; for in April, in the first fine weather, they come trooping all at once in these parts, but are never seen in the winter. They are delicate songsters.

Numbers of snipes* breed every summer in some moory ground on the verge of this parish. It is very amusing to see the cock bird on wing at that time, and to hear his piping and humming notes.

I have had no opportunity yet of procuring any of those mice which I mentioned to you in town. The person that brought me the last says they are plenty in harvest, at which time I will take care to get more; and will endeavour to put the matter out of doubt, whether it be a nondescript species or not.

I suspect much there may be two species of water-rats.† Ray says, and Linnæus after him, that the water-rat is webfooted behind. Now, I have discovered a rat on the banks of our little stream that is not web-footed, and yet is an excellent swimmer and diver: it answers exactly to the mus amphibius of Linnæus (see Syst. Nat.), which, he says, "natat in fossis et urinatur,' ""swims and dives in the water." I should be glad to procure one "plantis palmatis," "with webbed feet." Linnæus seems to be in a puzzle about his mus amphibius, amphibious mouse," and to doubt whether it differs from his mus terrestris, "land mouse," which, if it be, as he allows, the "mus agrestis capite grandi brachyuros," "short-tailed, large-headed field-mouse," of Ray, is widely different from the water-rat, both in size, make, and manner of life.

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*Both snipes and woodcocks breed freely in the neighbourhood of Woolmer Forest. The latter have always four eggs, which are generally deposited on a dry bank. As soon as the eggs are hatched, the young are conveyed to wet swampy grounds. Sir Charles Taylor of Hollycombe, for many years pas+ has had a couple of young woodcocks on his table on the 25th of June.-ED.

Many persons in the neighbourhood of the river Thames have supposed that there were two varieties of water-rats. This has arisen from the circumstance of the common Norway rat having been seen swimming to the aits on the river, and attacking and destroving the water-rats.-ED.

As to the falco, which I mentioned in town, I shall take the liberty to send it down to you into Wales; presuming on your candour, that you will excuse me if it should appear as familiar to you as it is strange to me. Though mutilated, qualem dices... antehac fuisse, tales cum sint reliquiæ!" "what would you say it was before, when such are the remains?

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It haunted a marshy piece of ground in quest of wild ducks and snipes; but, when it was shot, had just knocked down a rook, which it was tearing in pieces. I cannot make it answer to any of our English hawks; neither could I find any like it at the curious exhibition of stuffed birds in Spring Gardens. I found it nailed up at the end of a barn, which is the countryman's museum.

The parish I live in is a very abrupt uneven country, full of hills and woods, and therefore full of birds.

LETTER XI.

TO THE SAME.

SELBORNE, September 9, 1767.

your

Ir will not be without impatience that I shall wait for thoughts with regard to the falco; as to its weight, breadth, &c., I wish I had set them down at the time; but, to the best of my remembrance, it weighed two pounds and eight ounces, and measured, from wing to wing, thirty-eight inches. Its cere and feet were yellow, and the circle of its eyelids a bright yellow. As it had been killed some days, and the eyes were sunk, I could make no good observation on the colour of the pupils and the irides.

The most unusual birds I ever observed in these parts were a pair of hoopoes, (upupa,)* which came several years ago in the summer, and frequented an ornamental piece of

* A pair of hoopoes have bred for many years in an old ash tree, on the grounds of a lady in Sussex near Chichester. Numbers of them are sold in the markets in Paris.-Ed.

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